Valve-controlling device



J. H. BRUMBAUGH.

VALVE CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION F ILEDJUNE22,1920.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

INVENTOR MCI/1A W M BY I ATTORNEYVS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOWARD BRUMBAUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORWTO GENERAL .FIREEXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION .OF

NEW YORK.

VALVE-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Application filed June 22, 1920. Serial No. 390,861.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN HOWARD BRUM- BAUGH,a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Valve-Controlling Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

Thisinvention relatesto improvements in valve-controlling devices. Moreparticularly it is herein illustrated as it may be applied in connectionwith dry pipe valves and the like. In one type of apparatus of thissort,

known as an accelerator, there are provided two air chambers connectedthrough a passage so restricted that although the pressure in themordinarily is equalized by flow cthroug'h thepassage, yet it becomesunequal when one, consequent upon the opening of a sprinkler head, issubjected to a sudden change on toogreat a scale to be communicated withequal speed through the restricted connection. The resulting unbalancedpressure actuates a diaphragm whose function it is to throw open adischarge passage from one of the "chambers, thus quickly actuating thedry pipe valve by any suitable method. Hitherto such passages have beenmaintained closed and leakage therethrough prevented, only by the weightand by the pressure of contained fluid upon a valve, such as a ball,closing the orifice of the passage. The present invention was devised toimprove this part of the said apparatus by providing for a movableweight to be utilized firstto hold the discharge passage valve "closed,and next, upon the actuation of the diaphragm, to throw the said valveopen against the pressure of the contained fluid.

Theinvention may be applied to various otherapparatus, and may beembodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claim. It isintended that the patent shall cover, bysuitable expression in theappended claims, whatever features of pat- -entable novelty existin theinvention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawing:

The single figure is a side elevation in medial section through anaccelerator to which the invention is applied.

Referring to the drawing, 10 indicates a rated, except as connected by aby-passage whose opening into the lower chamber is seen at 13. Thiscommunicates with the upper chamber through a disk 14 having arestricted opening which. protected by a screen 15 and suitably held inposition by nuts 16, permits only slow passage of air between chambers11 and 12. From chamber 12 another passage 17 leads to chamber 11 but isseparated from it by a flexible diarflnngm 18 which normally standsbulged toward chamber 12. Chamber 11 has a free connection 9 to thedistributing pipes of the fire extinguisher system, not shown, whichnormally are filled with air under pressure, and has a discharge passage26 to the dry pipe valve (not shown) whereare suitable arrangements sothat escape otair through the discharge passage causes actuation of thisvalve; and this discharge passage is normally closed by a valve body 25.It is the function of the diaphragm 18 to open the valve 25 undercertain conditions. With this diaphragmis associated a plunger 19 on thechamber 11 side, suitably guided as at 20 in line to hit and knock overa weight 21 which stands up onan arm from its pivot 22, ready to bepushed over the pivot so as to fall down on the other side. The arm runsdown beyond the pivot to a toe 23 which is set so that when swung aroundon the pivot 22 it traverses a path that makes it engage and lift theprojecting end of a lever 24 whichlifts valve 25 against the pressure offluid contained in chamber 11. As illustrated, this consists of a ballresting down on the entrance to the discharge passage and having a stemand head 27 in position to be engaged and lifted by the lever 24whenever the latter is swung upward around its fulcrum pivot 28. Theparts thus far described were known prior to the present invention, thevalve 25 as heretofore constructed being seated on the top of thedischarge passage by its own weight, aided to a negligible degree by theweight of the lever 24, which is relatively light, and necessarily sobecause it has to be thrown up when the valve is opened. The principalreliance for keeping this valve tight has been the fluid pressure withinchamber 11, acting upon it as upon a v weight.

the valve is operated; and the agency exerting this force is the sameelement which causes the opening when the valve is operated'viz: theweight 21, which may have a pocket filled with lead 21 to enhance its Inits normal setting, ready to be Operated when required, the weight 21stands up above its pivot 22 and has its center of gravity somewhat toone side of that pivot toward the valve 25, so that it tends to turntoward that valve, yet is so near the top of its swing that it is easilydriven over the top by the plunger 19, its center of gravity swingingover thepivot 22 to fall down on the other side. By this movement,superior force is applied, by the toe 23 against the lever 24, liftingthe valve 25. According to the present invention, however, the weight 21is so arranged, that when set ready and waiting to be operated theweight 21- rests down on the end of lever 24 thus imposing its weightthereon to keep the valve 25 closed. The addition of a lug or projection30 to the weight lever, on the side of'its fulcrum next to the weightand in position to engage the top side of the valve lever 24 im oses theweight 21 on the valve lever 24. s this projection 30 touches the lever24 at its tip, which may be rather close to the pivot 22 of-the weightlever; and as the weight 21 may be relatively heavy and may have itscenter of gravity farther away from the pivot 22, and may be but looselypivoted, a powerful compound leverage is produced on the valve25 tendingto keep it tight against leakage. But the pressure through this leverageis immediately relieved when the plunger 19,'pressing the weight 21laterally, causes it to rise a little to the crest of its are, carryingthe lug 30 away from the valve lever 24, and then to topple over on athe other side, so that its toe-23 throws up the lever 24 and so opensthe valve 25.

In its broader aspects the invention provides means for holding thedischarge valve 25 firmly seated with heavy pressure, additional to andconsiderably exceeding the fluid pressure upon it, until tripped; yet

that valve is capable of being tripped by a. relatlvely light pressureautomatically applied laterally to the upper part of the weight when thefluid pressure in chamber 11 becomes but little less than that inchamber 12; and when tripped is thrown open with a strong-force as saidweight is shifted and falls. The apparatus is thus made more secureagainst leakage, and, for cases where this function is important, ismade independent of thefluctuation of pressure on the two sidesjof valverelative to each other,'butcanremain closed even though the direction ofexcess of fluid pressure shifts, until the prescribed condition fortripping occurs.

I claim as my invention '1. The combination, with a valve body, of

a control lever separate therefrom, and means whereby it can engage thevalve body in direction to close and in direction to open the valve; anda weight on said control lever; the whole being arranged to be set withthe weight supported near the crest of its swing by said engagement withthe valve body, thereby holding the valve body closed. and adapted to bemoved over the crest by lateral pressure and to fall on the other side,thereby engaging the valve body to open the valve.

2. The combination, with a valve having an operating lever, of a controllever pivoted adjacent thereto and adapted to engage the valve lever indirection to close the valve and in direction to open the valve; and aweight on the control lever; the whole being arranged to be set with theweight supported near the crest of its swing by said engagement of thecontrol lever with the valve lever, thereby holding the valve closed, inposition where it is adapted to be moved over the crest by lateralpressure. and in falling on the other side to open the valve by saidother engagement.

3. The combination, with a valve normally closed by gravity and by fluidpressure, of a valve lever adapted to hold the valve body closed and toopen it; and a weighted control lever adapted to rest with its weightaugmenting the said pressure to hold the valve closed, and adapted tomove from said position by swinging on its fulcrum through a path whichfirst relieves the valve of said augmenting pressure and next causes theweight to fall with acceleration caused by gravity swinging the controllever, and then engages the valve lever to open the valve against saidpressure.

4. The combination, in a valve actuating device, of a first and a secondfluid cham ber, connected by a restricted passage whereby the pressuresbetween them may become balanced at a slow rate and unbalanced by rapiddiminution of pressure in the first chamber, and separated by a flexiblediaphragm adapted to be moved by an excess of pressure in one; aconnection from the first chamber to exterior apparatus wherein thefluid pressure may change; and a normally closed discharge passage fromthe first chamber whence the fluid therein may issue to actuate otherapparatus; a valve body constituting said normal closure, adapted to beseated on the discharge passage by the fiuid pressure; a control leverhaving a weight eccentrically pivoted adjacent to the valve body andconstituting a heavy arm of the lever; said lever having two other armsfor engaging said valve body separately in opposite directions, one ofthem being adapted to support the weight from the valve body with theweight raised, and the other adapted to lift the means whereby saiddiaphragm pushes the weight to the other side of its pivot upon theoccurrence of an excess of pressure in the second chamber.

5. The combination in a valve actuating device of a first and a secondfluid chamber, connected by a restricted passage whereby the pressuresbetween them may become balanced at a slow rate and unbalanced by rapiddiminution ofpressure in the first chamber, and separated by a flexiblediaphragm adapted to be moved by an excess of pressure in one; aconnection from the first chamber to exterior apparatus wherein thefluid pressure may change, and a normally closed discharge passage fromthe first chamber whence the fluid therein may issue to actuate otherapparatus; said discharge passage having within the first chamber anorifice opening upward; a valve body closing it; a valve lever adaptedto lift the valve body and also to maintain it closed; a control leverpivoted adjacent and normally standing up on its pivot and having a partadapted to engage the valve lever to press it down when standing up, andhaving a weight thereby held upstanding, pressing down on the valvelever, and in position to be overturned; said upstanding lever alsohaving an arm adapted to engage the valve lever to lift it when swungaround by the overturning of the weight; and means controlled by saiddiaphragm whereby the rising of excess of pressure in the second chamberlifts the weight, thereby releasing the valve and then overturns it,thereby lifting the valve.

Signed at Chicago, this 20th day of May, 1920.

JOHN HOWARD BRUMBAUGH.

